Daily Health Tips: It’s Fathers’ Day!

Posted on June 21, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Happy Fathers’ Day to all the wonderful fathers on this page! I trust that the women in your lives celebrated you and made the day super-awesome.

Here’s a post in honour of this special day. Take a read…

Daddy or Father…which are you?

Have a great week ahead 🙂

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What Does Baby’s Cry Mean?

Posted on June 21, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Are you a new mum trying to figure out what it all means? What’s my baby saying when he whimpers, when he cries, when he screams (do you think, perhaps, someone pinched him?)…what does it all mean. It can be pretty overwhelming trying to make sense out of it all, I know 😀

Let me help you out: Here are some signals babies could be giving out when they cry

Hunger: If your baby isn’t full after a feed, he would cry at the end of it and before the next one. Babies also don’t feel hungry at regular intervals and so there are days when he appears to need a feed more often and other days when he needs it infrequently. So, offer a feed if you’re not sure what signal he is giving out.

Needing to be held: We all worry about whether we will spoiling our babies if we carry them whenever they cry. Well, if your baby needs a cuddle and that’s why he is crying then you just need to carry him…and you won’t spoil him! A front carrying baby sling may be a good idea. Otherwise, Carrying or gently rocking your baby is also a good idea. Rocking is better than vigorously joggling him up and down, because this may prevent him from drifting off to sleep. I made this mistake several times with my first baby and kept wondering why she never seemed to fall asleep! 😀

Want more tips and hints on this? Get details from the book, Just For The Health Of It. You can get a copy via the shop now link on our facebook page. Or you can get it through:

1) Jumia.com. Just click on this link http://www.jumia.com.ng/jumia-books-just-for-the-health-of-it-with-dr-ketch-179486.html and get a copy. You have the option of paying when the book is delivered to you or paying online. This service is available all over Nigeria.

2) Another option for those in Lagos is Laterna Bookshop on 13, Oko-Awo Close, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Street,. Victoria Island.

3) If you’re outside the country, please visit Amazon through this link http://www.amazon.com/Just-Health-Ketch-Pregnancy-Parenting/dp/9789398026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1426246647&sr=1-1&keywords=just+for+the+health+of+it+with+dr+ketch+olalere+nkechi

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Daily Health Tips: Can I Re-Use Oil I Had Used For Frying?

Posted on June 20, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Hello y’all. Had a great day? Since lots of cooking and eating happens over the weekends, our tip today is on how to re-use oil for frying safely…as presented on this blog before.

Re-using oil can be done safely. First, the focus is on oils that have a high smoking point. Smoking point, simply put, is the heat point at which the oil begins to smoke 😀 (Elementary, my dear Watson!). And so, oil that has smoked, is not good for use anymore. In fact, you can consider smoking point to be that point at which oil goes from good to bad! At that point, the oil breaks down and forms free radicals that can cause cancer. Oils like peanut (groundnut) and Soya oils have high smoking points and do not break down easily.

So, you can re-use the oil provided it didn’t get to smoking point, it didn’t foam, change colour or develop a funny smell . To store the oil, let it cool, strain out all the food debris and then put in jars (glass, preferably) and refrigerate or freeze and use within one month. If food debris is left in the oil, it forms a rich culture medium for micro-organisms that can cause food poisoning to grow.

Finally, as much as practicable, try not to add salt to the food you wish to fry as salt lowers the smoking point of oils. And by the way, what’s with all the frying??? Grill, bake or roast 😉

Good night y’all 🙂

Here’s to a healthier you!

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Daily Health Tips: World Sickle Cell Day

Posted on June 19, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Today is World Sickle Cell Day with the theme ‘Control of Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria at Primary Care Level’ This is to ensure that people who have this disease have access to care and are not seen as ‘Abiku’ or ‘ogbanje’ 🙂

In honour of the day, here are some posts I have made on this subject in the post. Most of these posts are from questions asked by people as to whether they can marry people with specific genotypes.

Daily Health Tips: My Fiancee And I Have AS genotype. Should We Get Married?

Daily Health Tips: How Can I Help My Fiancee? She Has SS Genotype And I have AA Genotype.

Have a good night, y’all and a fab weekend ahead 😀

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Daily Health Tips: How Long Should I Use A Sitz Bath After Episiotomy?

Posted on June 18, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good evening ma’am. Please ma’am, for someone that was given an episiotomy how long is she supposed to sit on warm water? If she undergoes stitching of an episiotomy twice due to opening of the 1st stitch, what can be applied on the surface or taken for quick recovery?

A: Sitz bath is a warm water bath that helps cleanse the perineum. Just in case you wondered, the perineum is that space between the rectum and the genitals. The right temperature is the one that you can handle without sustaining burns. Putting a few drops of this water on the inner surface of your wrist can help confirm this.
Plain warm water is sufficient but some people add salt to the water which is soothing. Your doctor may also suggest other things he/she may want you to add to the water.

To prepare this, you can either use the plastic Sitz bath kit, (a special bowl specificallymade for this whichfits on your toilet seat so you can sit down easily on it), or your bath tub. Be sure to thoroughly scrub your plastic Sitz bath kit or bath tub before and after use. If using the bath tub, add sufficient warm water to sit on and then get in. To get the job done properly, you can try hanging your legs out of the tub. Usually, you are encouraged to sit for 10 to 15 minutes on the water. Pat the perineal area dry after you’re done. Do not rub vigorously…remember the area is sore and if you’ve had stitches, it could mess things up 😀 This can be repeated up to 3 to 4 times daily as needed.

To ensure that the episotomy site heals well, use prescribed pain medication, avoid sitting on hard surfaces. Try using a pillow ( a regular or circular one/boppy pillow). Avoid constipation and indeed diarrhea and try placing a pad over the suture area while bearing down to poop. Urinating presents a challenge as pain is experienced during this process. Try using water to rinse off afterwards, preferably using a squirt bottle.

Eat healthy, keep the surgery site as clean as possible and enjoy your time with your baby. This too shall pass. Be sure to let your doctor know if you have concerns.

Have a good night y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Why Do I Like ‘Eating’ Ice Cubes? Is Something Wrong With Me?

Posted on June 17, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Hello doctor, I’d like to ask: could something be wrong with me? I eat a lot of ice cubes and I can’t go a day without eating one, even at night before I go to bed.

A: Could something be wrong with you? Maybe…or maybe not. If you live in a very hot place with frequent power cuts and taking some ice cubes makes you feel cool (literally and figuratively :D), then that makes sense. If you’ve just taken a mouthful of very spicy food or perhaps have a dry mouth and need an instant ‘cool me down’ solution, then ice cubes may not be a bad call. This could develop into a habit or something you do when bored.

However, constantly eating ice cubes (pagophagia) or other non-food items like chalk, hair, glue, sand, clay etc, generally called pica, could be associated with some disease conditions like iron deficiency anaemia. Other causes include pregnancy, poverty and conditions like autism.

For details of this condition, please click on these links:

Daily Health Tips: Why Does My Daughter Love Eating Soil/Sand?

Daily Health Tips: Is It Healthy To Eat Clay?

In addition, eating ice can lead to cracked teeth which may eventually result in teeth sensitivity. So, you might want to be even more careful 🙂

I suggest you go visit the hospital to check your ‘blood level’ (haemoglobin level). This will give an idea as to whether this is due to iron deficiency. Your doctor will exclude other causes and in some cases, if this is a compulsive behavior, mental health physicians may be required.

Have a good night, y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: How Do I Treat Sore Throat?

Posted on June 16, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Good evening,  ma’am. Please I have a sore throat and have not been able to eat for the past three days. Please how can I treat it?

A: Sore throat can be a tiresome ailment causing pain and discomfort when swallowing. Below, I reproduce a post I had made on this previously.

Sore throat (also called pharyngitis) is pain or irritation in the throat which may worsen when you swallow.

The most common cause of sore throat is viral infection like common cold. This type of sore throat resolves without the use of any medication. As any ardent follower of this page should know by now, viral infections are self-limiting and so they will run their course and stop with or without any treatment. Other causes of sore throat include bacterial infection, irritants (like tobacco smoke), muscle strain (from screaming), allergies etc

Symptoms are typically dry throat, difficulty with swallowing, painful sensation in the throat, hoarse or muffled voice, swollen tonsils on looking into the mouth etc

Treatment for sore throat depends on the cause. However, since most sore throats are caused by viruses, treatment is mainly symptomatic (that means, addressing the symptoms) and includes:

Rest: This helps rest your voice and improve your immunity

Drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration and gargle with salt water. Please do not swallow the salt water.

Use drugs like ibuprofen or paracetamol for pain and fever.

Use antibiotics ONLY if prescribed by your doctor who believes the cause of the sore throat is a bacterial infection. Suspicion of bacterial infection is made by the doctor if the patient has tender lumps (lymph nodes) on the neck, has fever, has no cough and has pus on the tonsils. If patient has three of these symptoms, the doctor may decide on antibiotics.

Prevention is the same as that for preventing infections generally. Practice good hygiene in all aspects (personal hygiene, hygiene at home, pet hygiene and food hygiene) and this involves:

Hand washing or using hand sanitizers when hand washing is not immediately possible, coughing or sneezing into the crook of the elbow, regularly cleaning ‘forgotten’ surfaces like remote controls, light switches, knobs of cookers etc all help to improve hygiene and prevent viral infections. Avoiding irritants like cigarette smoke, taking it easy during the game even when your team is winning so that you don’t strain your muscle are great ideas that help prevent sore throat.

If you experience difficulty with breathing and/or swallowing, please see your doctor asap.

Have a goodnight, y’all 😀

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Daily Health Tips: Is It Good For Students To Study Late At Night And Midnights?

Posted on June 15, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Q: Is it also good for students to study late at night and midnights?

A: Well, this is a question that has troubled mankind forever. Is it good? Well, as an adult, you need an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep, minimum per day. If you have not been getting this number of hours of sleep for a while, then the number required daily increases. It’s just a clear case of not being able to cheat nature.
Different students like to study differently. Some prefer the day time, others prefer midnight when it’s dark and quiet. I belong to the first class and the only time I tried to do what others were doing (reading at night) with coffee to boot, I spent all night in the toilet 😀

Read about that here: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/01/17/daily-health-tips-coffee-energy-drinks-et-al/

So, if you’re preparing for an exam and need to swot late at night for a while to get up to speed, that’s okay. It just can’t be a regular event. It’s also important to sleep in a place where you’re not constantly being disturbed, perhaps with slamming doors etc. Quality of sleep is just about as important as quantity. Consistently getting less than the required amount of sleep is associated with stress and many chronic diseases. It also makes you sleepy during the day and slows you down. So, try getting significant work done during the day or keeping up with your reading as the courses are taught so that you don’t have too much to do when it is time for exams and so that you can free up your nights.

For working parents who are studying for extra degrees, I guess this is better said than done. However, what is fact is the effect that sleep deprivation has on the body and so it is important to pace oneself.

Also ensure that you eat well: fruits, veggies and complex carbs. Exercise (or be active) for at least 30 minutes on 5 days of the week and try and stay off fast food. The latter is very attractive when you’re studying. It’s a bit like you’re eating in front of a television:you keep digging in and eating more without really paying attention. Eating this triggers your desire for more fast food and before you know it, a vicious cycle is initiated and obesity gets added to the mix.

I hope this helps.

Have a good night y’all 😀

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Can you give the gift of life?

Posted on June 14, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

In honour of World Blood Donor Day 2015.

chatwithdrketch's avatarchatwithketch

What does having the power to give the gift of life mean? Is it the birthing of a baby, as a great percentage of women are able to do? Is it the role the men and women play in the miracle of conception? Is it the role of doctors in being able to take life and death decisions that affect their patients? The list could go on forever and I guess in some ways these different people play major roles in determining life at some point or the other.  

I take a few seconds to issue a quick disclaimer that this concept of giving the gift of life is very different from playing God. Only God can play God :D. The rest of us? We only play roles he has prescribed. A friend of mine would say cynically, ‘if men were God…’

Back to the discourse; is this role of…

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Random Recipes…

Posted on June 14, 2015 by chatwithdrketch

Random Recipes…

Do you have a sweet tooth and yearn for that cup of ice cream with some crunch? Well, here’s how you can improvise.

Make some yoghurt (unsweetened). I’ve shared the recipe for yoghurt here several times. Here’s the link to it: https://chatwithdrketch.com/2014/10/27/daily-health-tips-recipe-for-and-storage-of-yoghurt/

Get some fruits in season. I love to use mangoes and/or bananas. If you’re going to use both, one small mango and one medium sized banana is sufficient for a long glass. Scoop out the pulp of the mango and then cut up the bananas. Add the fruits to a blender one measuring cup of yoghurt. If you don’t have a measuring cup, just estimate. Blend both. If you want it thick, don’t blend for too long. If you want it runny (like drinking yoghurt) then blend for longer.

Serve in a nice, long cup. If you like some crunch, you can sprinkle some unsalted nuts (almonds, cashew or even peanuts) or some whole grain, crunchy cereal on top.

Improvisations:
I you don’t have a blender, you can mash up the fruits and add to the yoghurt. You will expect that the blend will not be so smooth and will have nice, delicious bits and lumps in it.

If you don’t have yoghurt or can’t make it immediately, you can replace the yoghurt with skimmed milk.

Yum, yum, yum!!!

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